30 Teacher Appreciation Week Ideas (That Teachers Will Actually Like)

Teacher Appreciation Week/Day (or World Teachers’ Day) is your once-a-year permission slip to go big on gratitude, minus the candles. The winning formula? One heartfelt moment + one practical perk or gift. Here are 30 ideas that are thoughtful and actually doable.

🇦🇺 Heads-up: In Australia, most schools celebrate World Teachers’ Day on the last Friday in October (this year, that's 31st October 2025). If your school runs with “Teacher Appreciation Week,” these still work a treat.

Celebration Ideas

A few heartfelt (and practical) ideas to celebrate your teacher.

1. Card & gift from the whole class
This is an all-time winner! With GroupTogether, it's super easy for the whole class to add messages and photos onto a card online to create a beautiful keepsake for the teacher. You can even let parents chip in for a gift when they sign the card. One link...no chasing parents in the parking lot. Tiny amounts add up fast and the end result feels personal and useful. See how it work.

2. Class playlist
Ask families to add teacher-approved tracks and build a “Ms K’s Bangers” playlist. The teacher can play it knowing the whole class has contributed.

3. Door of compliments
Cover the classroom door with sticky notes - one word per student: Encouraging. Funny. Calm. Legendary. The teacher will walk into a wall of love.

4. Coffee top-up
Pre-buy some coffees at the teacher’s favourite café near the school. 

5. Polaroid wall
Snap quick pics of each child holding a sign: “This year I learned ______.” Arrange them on a wall for maximum impact.

6. Admin angel hour
Gather a few volunteer parents to help tackle photocopying/laminating/admin during Teacher Appreciation Week.

7. 60-second video montage
Ask each child for a 5-second clip; one parent stitches it together on a phone. You could give a theme e.g. describe Mr T in one word. Cue happy tears.

8. Wishlist wipe
Get 5–10 classroom needs (markers, games, etc.), share the list and ask families to claim an item to cover. 

9. Classroom library boost
Families donate a favourite children’s book, and encourage them to write a little "donated by X in 20XX in appreciation of [Teacher's Name]" blurb inside the cover.

10. Tidy-up blitz
After school, get together a small parent squad to refresh the reading corner/cupboards/etc (with permission).

Class Card Ideas 

Here's a few ideas to spruce up your teacher card from the class.

11. Candid photo cover
Use a real class photo for the card front cover, it will create a special keepsake for the teacher.

12. "Recipe for a Great Teacher"
Each child adds one “ingredient” to the card: 2 cups patience, 1 pinch of dad jokes, endless kindness.

13. “You helped me…” prompt
Give parents this starter and ask them to get their child to complete it. The specificity is gold: “…love reading”, “…try even when it’s hard.”

14. Quote card
Capture the teacher’s iconic lines - “Show your working!” or “Kind first, clever second.” 

15. Mini art gallery
Ask each child to do a drawing (e.g. of them with the teacher), then get parents to take a photo and add it to the card. Instant gallery, without the teacher needing an extra storage room.

16. Favourite thing about the teacher
One sentence each. Short, sincere and incredibly moving in a card filled with photos and GIFs.

17. Theme it in their favourite colour, animal, etc.
If the teacher has a specific or quirky style, ask everyone to choose photos and GIFs that match the theme! E.g. a pink-themed card, or one filled with cat memes. 

18. Favourite memory from the year
Ask each child to add their favourite memory. Sports carnival triumphs, quiet wins, the day the tadpoles escaped…

19. Curriculum cameo
If they've been learning something specific in class recently, tie the theme of the card into that e.g. acrostic poems.

10. Print-and-present moment
With GroupTogether, you can download the card as a PDF and print it for the big hand-over. Pro tip: print it at Officeworks for $2 on A3 thick card stock, and it folds to a beautiful A4 card. Digital keepsake + IRL moment = best of both worlds.

Gift Ideas 

If you're organising a gift for Teacher Appreciation Week, here's our top recommendations. All of these are available on GroupTogether, so you can collect money from the class when they sign the card and put it towards one of these. So easy!

21. AnyCard eGift Card (choice = happiness)
This is an all-time favourite with teachers. Give the GroupTogether AnyCard and let the teacher choose from 100+ brands including Myer, David Jones, Woolies, Dan Murphy's, BCF, The ICONIC & more.

22. The Restaurant Choice or Café Choice eGift Card Cards
Both available at GroupTogether, the Restaurant Choice and Cafe Choice eGift Cards are super smart pre-paid Visa cards that let the recipient spend it at any restaurant, bar or cafe around Australia...and enjoy a well deserved treat!

23. Dymocks eGift Card
For classroom reads or a novel they actually want to read on holidays, give a Dymocks eGift Card. Librarian heart eyes. 

24. Teacher pamper hamper
We LOVE the Teacher Treat Hamper from Little Kisses (available on GroupTogether) which includes a candle, hand creams and a reusable water bottle. 

25. Airbnb eGift Card
Give them an Airbnb eGift Card as little escape fund for weekends away or a mid-term reset.

26. Classroom plant
GroupTogether has partnered with The Good Plant Co. so you can give the teacher a low-maintenance green friend with a tag: “Thanks for helping us grow.”

27. Apple or JB Hi-Fi eGift Card
What teacher doesn't love tech?! An Apple eGift Card or JB Hi-Fi eGift Card is perfect for everything from items for the classroom or upgrading their TV.

28. endota spa eGift Card
A proper exhale. Even a small amount feels luxe when it’s guilt-free me-time, cue an endota spa eGift Card.

29. Flowers from the class
Classic for a reason. With GroupTogether, we've got a range of bouquets you can choose from and you can put any remaining funds onto an AnyCard. Nice!

30. Rebel Sport eGift Card
Perfect for the sporty teacher! A Rebel Sport eGift Card lets them buy PE gear, sneakers or replace that yoga mat they’ve worn to threads. Practical and appreciated.

Meet the experts

Ali + Julie

Co-Founders, GroupTogether.

Life’s busy. That’s why we’re here to make it easy for you to collect money from a group. Less wasted time, less packaging waste, and spending a little less but giving a lot better!